It's Been A Long, Long Time
by Francine Elisha
Summary: Made a few details on how I pictured Captain America going back in time for his best girl. I don't own MCU, just some of the OCs I added.
1. Chapter 1

_There were some gadgets placed neatly on the white table. Steve furrowed his eyebrows, still not knowing a single thing about any of those gadgets. Despite all of the technological advancements he's seen from some of their formidable enemies, it was still all confusing to him._

_The briefcase was laid down in front of them. Bruce nudged the locks which opened once he had done so. "Remember," He spoke, as he nudged it one by one. Upon lifting the other side up using his only one hand, the case revealed the six Infinity stones that the team had used in order to bring back the vanished. Each stones were placed neatly side by side on the , except for the Mind stone which was at the middle. The stones were connected to the middle stone; starting with the Time stone (at the left of the Mind stone), the Power stone (next to it), the Space stone, the Reality stone, and the Soul stone (at the right side of the Mind stone). The formation created an arc with the measurement of one hundred eighty degrees. __Once Steve got a glimpse of the stones again, he blinked, still furrowing his eyebrows, trying not to have recurring images of what happened._

_Bruce, on the other hand seemed unbothered and continued, looking down on the stones. "You have to return the stones at the exact moment you got 'em." He then flinched, recalling his injury. "You're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities."_

_Sam kept a distance from the briefcase, listening in on the conversation. The box wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes._

_Steve sighed, placing both of his hands on the sides of the briefcase. __"Don't worry , Bruce." He said, taking a last glance at the stones __and once he did, closed it shut. "Clipped all the branches."_

_Bruce kept his eyes on the box, his eyes full of emotion. Emotions like hurt and agony. "Yeah, I've tried 'em." It finally recurred to him; those moments when he slipped on the glove and it attached to him. "When I'd gotten those stones, I- I really tried to bring her back." He then let on a sigh and lifted his eyes to look at Steve. "I miss her, man."_

_Steve could only look up at the big guy. "Me too."_

_Bruce gave a nod in acknowledgement, still hurt._

_Not known to them, someone stood in a distance from their direction, hands tucked inside the pockets of his jacket. Steve glanced in that direction and recognized who it was. Bruce was left on the table, along with the other equipment._

_Bucky._

_He started to walk towards him, carrying the briefcase on one hand._

_Sam followed him, walking beside him. "You know," He spoke and the Captain turned his attention on him. "If you want, I can come with you."_

_Steve considered this for a moment, stopping in his tracks and gave him a smile. "You're a good man, Sam." He felt for the strap of his belt, as he fought the recurring images starting to form in his head. Gripping it, he made his decision. "This one's on me though."_

_The captain approached their other companion._

_Steve gave this man a smile. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back."_

_Bucky chuckled for a second at the old catchphrase. "How can I?" He then stared at him in the eye, his voice full of concern for his dearest friend. "You're taking all the stupid with you."_

_Steve pulled him for a quick hug and they sealed it with a pat on each other's back. After they pulled apart, Bucky looked at him in the eye again, his voice starting to break. "I'm gonna miss you, buddy."_

_"It's gonna be alright, Buck." Steve reassured him._

_Bucky smiled. He really admired his optimism._

_Without a moment of hesitation, Steve turned to the direction where the time machine was. He climbed up the small stairs and stepped on the platform, the briefcase still on his hand. Then, he pressed a button close to his hand. A change occured once he did. He was now wearing a white suit with black and red outlines. It was a suit meant to protect him and the rest of the team from the quantum realm._

_Sam, who was watching from afar, turned to Bruce. "How long's it gonna take?"_

_Bruce, controlling the equiments on the table, looked up at him. "For him, as long as he needs. For us, it's five seconds."_

_The captain positioned himself inside the mark of a small circle on the middle of the platform. The Mjolnir rested inches away from his foot. He recognized this and picked it up by its handle, as if it fits him perfectly._

_"Ready, Cap?" asked Bruce._

_Steve gave him a nod._

_He remembered what Bruce had said to him; that the stones were the key to maintaining order because without the stones, it will cause chaos throughout the realm of space and time. It scared him, living in a world like that._

_"We need you back here, 'kay?"_

_He nodded again, sighing anxiously. "Get back." As soon as he said those words, a helmet formed covering his entire head. A helmet similar to what Scott wears._

_"Okay, going quantum in three..."_

_Bucky watched his friend, his eyes full of emotion as well._

_"Two..."_

_Sam watched in anticipation as well._

_"One."_

_Bruce turned the knobs on the equipment and the captain disappeared in a blink of an eye._

* * *

Steve opened his eyes.

He glanced at his arm and his feet. It was like something was keeping him from falling. It didn't take him long to figure that he was floating in the vast area of the quantum realm. It was very colorful and alive; different shapes and sizes were all floating about with him. He recalled the last time he went here and he wasn't alone. Now being here alone seemed surreal. He thought about his assignment. _Right, _He said to himself. _Have to bring these back to where it belongs._

Each stones came from different timelines. He checked his GPS and started to track the origin of location of the different stones.

* * *

"Cap, you there? Come in, Cap." Bruce asked through the communicator.

"Kinda," Steve slammed Mjolnir onto the face of a Chitauri warrior. The warrior fought back with a growl and charged at the captain. "...busy!" Steve went for the chest, hoping to land a kick on the vile creature. The Chitauri was hit but managed to dodge the impact of the attack but he raised the Mjolnir to the sky in a quick movement and released the charged energy at the creature. The creature was electrocuted in a matter of seconds and fell unconscious to the ground. Steve exhaled and picked up the briefcase.

"I'm on my way to the Sorcerer Supreme." He reported and went inside the building. A few other Chitauris were waiting for him on the fifth floor but he managed to knock them all out by using the Mjolnir like a pinball.

"Returned any of the stones yet?"

"Yeah." He replied, out of breath. "Managed to return the four. The one I'm returning now's the one you asked the Sorcerer to hand it over to you." The captain jogged up the stairs, all the way up to the rooftop.

"What's the last one?"

"The blue one." He reached the top of the stairs and panted. _This is finally it_, he thought to himself. _The last one left. _He went on further to recall on what happened while they were retrieving the Tesseract. The room where he accidentally hid in. The room of Agent Margaret "Peggy" Carter; the person he's been wanting to see for a very long time. She was there in that timeline, alive and well. He remembered how his heart stopped when he saw her again. _I want to see her again, _He said to himself, smiling. With a low grunt, he pushed the door leading to the rooftop.

"Hello?" The captain called out, walking slowly forward.

All of a sudden, he felt something sharp pressed against the side of his throat. He felt a physical force around his neck. "What..." He muttered.

"Hand over the case, insolent human." The Chitauri hissed, tightening the force around his neck.

Steve lifted the case as an attempt to attack but it was knocked out from his hand. This was a much bigger opponent than those Chitauri that he had battled downstairs. The briefcase cluttered across the floor.

A figure loomed over them. A bald woman landed swiftly on the shoulder of the warrior and struck one of those magic weapons that Strange uses to attack as well, onto the head. Steve managed to break free once the grip around his neck loosened and watched as the Chitauri fell to the ground, dead. He picked the briefcase up and glanced at the woman. He noticed the mysterious relic dangling below her neck, shaped like an eye. The Eye of Agamotto. Must be the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Thanks." He panted, giving her a smile.

"No need to thank me, Mr. Rogers." She said, giving him a quick smile.

"How'd you know my name?" He asked.

"Well," Her smile turned into a stern face. "I believe that you have something of my possession?"

"What," He started to wonder and then glanced at the briefcase. "Oh!" He cried upon realizing what she was referring to. "Right! Right. My bad."

He knelt and nudged the locks of the briefcase. The case revealed two of the infinity stones left. He got the green one using his fingers and closed the case shut. "Here you go." The captain handed it over to the stone to her.

"Thank you, Mr. Rogers." She said, placing the stone close to the pupil shaped center. She then made a weird gesture with her hands, like casting some kind of magic which opened the Eye and the stone that levitated was placed back inside. "I am really glad that Dr. Banner was able to fulfill his promise."

"Me too." Steve gave her a nod then pressed something close to his hand again. He appeared once again wearing the suit. He was about to go when the Sorcerer stopped him with a question. "Tell me, Mr. Rogers." She spoke, as if someone can't disregard her authority. "Where is your destination once the stones have been returned to its proper place?"

He smiled. There was only one answer to that question.

"Can't miss out on a date, ma'am." He said in reply.

"In that case," The Sorcerer smiled once more. "You forgot your weapon." She used her magic to hurl Mjolnir at him. He blinked in astonishment as he caught the hammer in mid-air.

"Thanks." He smiled sheepishly. "Didn't wanna make Thor mad by leaving this in an alternate reality." He said and then the helmet reappeared, covering his whole head. Pressing a button close to his hand, he disappeared once more in a blink of an eye.


	2. Chapter 2

A loud thud was heard, a couple of meters away from the barracks.

Steve groaned, touching his backside. Wherever he landed on was something hard and pretty much hurts, like something was preventing it from maintaining its title which is "America's Ass". Not long after, his nose picked up a scent. It was foul scent; something like rotten cheese, molded bread, and the like. His throat gagged a little. "What is..." He pinched his nose and opened his eyes.

There were trash everywhere, filling up his nose. _So I fell in a dumpster_, He said to himself, brushing himself from the trash that was attached to his various body parts. He used his arms to lift himself up. Once he got a hold of his legs, he raised his head and peeped. There were soldiers marching about; also different old-fashioned vehicles that were unlike his time but only had modifications to it. This was enough to convince him where he was.

_Camp Lehigh._

_And a change of clothes would be nice,_ he said to himself.

"Who's turn is it to take the trash today?" He heard a voice nearby. Steve ducked. Then, he silently felt for the lid and pulled it over his head. Hoping that no one saw, he listened through the small hole that reflected light from the outside.

"I saw Jake fillin' in for lunch, do you want him to take it out for ya?" Another voice piped up.

"It's alright, I can just do it myself." The voice let out a groan.

"Alright, thanks bud!" The other voice faded.

"Stupid know-at-all who knows nothing..." The voice grumbled. Steve kept his cool, hearing the footsteps getting closer. With Mjolnir in one hand, he gripped the handle and waited in anticipation.

* * *

Dennis had just finished his lunch, wearing a uniform that clearly suits someone being labelled as a janitor in the area. But he was much more than that. He felt lie he had responsibility. An important responsibility in taking out the trash. After the newbie bailed on him, he disregarded him even as someone who can learn to appreciate the job.

"Stupid know-at-all who knows nothing..." He grumbled to himself, heading straight to the dumpster. He worked for nearly two years now in the camp, recognizing authorities with high powers. There was nothing different in his years of experience, that is... until now.

Approaching the dumpster, he lifted the lid.

"Hi," said a man, blond and smiling at him. Before he could even muster the words due to him bewildered as to why there was a man inside the dumpster, he felt a smack on the side of his head.

Everything went black.

* * *

Steve tried to fit on the clothes. Thankfully, the janitor was about his height and same built. The green jumpsuit fitted him perfectly; just a little snug on some parts but breathable. He took the shoes as well, actually surprised that it fit him. _This man should be an agent_, he chuckled, glancing at the unconscious body and then shaking his head in disbelief and started to knot. He picked up the Mjolnir and the briefcase, bringing it along with him.

Once he was done and had put on the cap on his head, the captain went out of the dumpster and turned. "Thanks pal," Steve gave the unconscious body of the janitor a quick pat on the shoulder and closed the lid on him.

"Now where was it?" He tried to recall the exact location where Tony got the Tesseract from, frowning. He thought about the others back at the other timeline; Bruce, Sam and how they can be of useful help now but unfortunately the communicator was fried when he encountered one of those tardigrades in the realm. He touched his earpiece again in an attempt to make it work but much to his dismay, it gave him a bit of a shock. "Now it doesn't work." He sighed, using his index and thumb to take the earpiece and threw it away.

Someone clasped him on the back all of a sudden. "Who're you talking to, Dennis?"

"Who-" Steve turned around to find a man dressed up in the same outfit as him, probably in his forties. The man had quite a mustache, full-grown mustache and brown with some of the crumbs probably from that lunch he took. He reminded the captain of someone he knew from a long time ago; just couldn't recall who it was. He could tell by that look that this man was already working here for quite some time.

They stared at each other for the next couple of seconds and then, his eyes darted to something that caught his attention because of how the light reflected on it. A name tag on the right chest and it says, "Jason". He realized that he must've had the same as well. He glanced down at his chest.

"Oh right! Right." laughed Steve, sheepishly, running his fingers on the hair just above the nape. "Yeah, I'm Dennis." He looked back at the man; silently praying that he didn't notice anything unusual about his pal. _Rule of time-travelling, dumbass_, He bit the tip of his tongue. _You can't let 'em know who you are._

"Right... Dennis," Now this man, Jason, gave him a weird look and sighed. He then coughed and went on, "When break time's over, I want you taking out the trash from the other fellas. You got me?"

"Yes, sir." The captain said, straightening his back just like the poise of a soldier.

"Okay," Jason gave him a weird look and examined him from head to toe. He noticed the weird item he was holding along with a briefcase. "What's all this?" He said with a gesture.

_Cripes_, Steve thought to himself. _Come on... make an excuse!_

"Uh," He started to explain, sheepishly. "Was gonna put this back to the Foreign Artifacts room. I noticed them lying around in our place."

Jason regarded this for a moment.

The Captain tried his best not to even show any signs of hesitation; already mapping out any possibilities that might save him from this almost mess that he will create in this alternate reality. He silently prayed once more that Jason was somewhat kind of like a dim-witted person. _It was stupid of me_, he said to himself. _Bringing this along with me and out in the broad daylight._

_But you're not wrong, Steve,_ his consciousness responded. _The stone's inside the briefcase, how can you not bring it with you? What, leave it to-_

"I don't know how you got _this-_" Jason gestured at the items, giving him a puzzled look with a bit of suspicion. "But you need to return all these back to where it belongs otherwise-" He got closer and seized him by the collar. "you're gonna be in big trouble, we're _all _gonna be in big trouble, ya hear me?!"

"I know." The captain gave him a nod.

"Good." Jason let him go. "You're a good kid, Dennis. I'm sure you'd still want me to look at you that way."

Steve nodded once more. Then he remembered that he didn't know where the Artifacts room was. He frowned and turned to Jason once more. "I'm gonna need a set of directions, though."

The bearded man sighed and turned to face in the right direction. "You see that small building right there? Next to the barracks?" He pointed, squinting his eyes. The captain nodded as he looked back at him. "Yeah, that's where your room is."

"Thanks a lot!" replied Steve.

When Jason looked on his right, Dennis was long gone and was already running towards the barracks.

"What an idiot." He said to himself, shaking his head.

Jason then returned to where the others were and continued to have his lunch in peace.

* * *

Getting in the room wasn't hard, like what Tony had mentioned to him. There was no one guarding the facility; he made sure of that, checked every perimeter and every doorway. Steve walked in the room in awe. The ceiling was somewhat high, the walls on the sides designed to withstand any possible earthquake and there were container-like boxes that filled the room that were neatly organized.

_Now where could I possibly find the container for this_, he thought to himself, examining every container that he passed by.

There were labels on the boxes; possibly from the most dangerous to the least dangerous or just randomly put here since S.H.I.E.L.D. was constantly investigating in other places and can have less time when it comes to arranging the artifacts in alphabetic order or something. Still he walked and walked and walked, hoping to find wherever it was.

_Now let's see what we have here_, said Steve to himself, looking at the labels.

He looked hard enough and for quite some time. Then he noticed at the far end of the room, back to where he went in, the container for the Tesseract. He sighed upon realizing that it was only close to the doorway and noticed that there was a lock placed on it. He wondered if it was possible by using Mjolnir that the lock be broken. His nostrils expanded as he inhaled and exhaled. _Only one way to find out_, He said to himself. Placing the briefcase first on the ground, he gripped the handle and figured what angle is most appropriate for him to swing in one motion and cause enough force for it to break. It took him a minute to do so and once he knew, he swung the hammer.

"STOP!" A voice echoed.

He froze.

It sounded vaguely familiar. A voice he haven't heard in a very long time.

A .44 Magnum was positioned at him and is cocked.

"Put the hammer down." The voice spoke once again with authority.

He dropped the hammer. A loud sound was heard.

"Now place your hands on your back where I can see them."

He did as he was told, completely dazed.

This person put out a pair of handcuffs. He remained in that position as he was being handcuffed.

"You did well in sneaking in," The voice went on. "I already told Howard about tightening the security defenses but he wouldn't listen to me. Now this has to happen. It's quite a shame, really." Once the handcuffs had been securely placed, he was still speechless. "However, I won't you allow you to do such a thing. What's your name?"

Still speechless. He turned around; tears starting to well up in his eyes.

"Didn't you hear what I said? What-"

"Peggy," He said without a doubt, looking down at the voice that spoke this entire time. She was there in front of him, alive and well. Her curly tendrils neatly pulled back with a clip, that red lipstick which emphasized her lips and made her look even more attractive. And, of course, still hasn't changed with that demeanor of hers. He couldn't help but smile as he already found the one he was looking for.

The woman standing right before him.

Agent Margaret Carter.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Sorry for the late update AAAAH, had a lot going on for the past week. Here it is though, hope you like it. -F_**

* * *

He felt a sharp tingling sensation on his right cheek.

Before he could even think about what it was, he already saw Peggy's hand form into a knuckle and that was directed at him. The impact caused him to stagger and he moaned, letting out an "Ow!". His hand moved to his cheek and that gave him the confirmation. He had just been punched by the love of his life. It took him a few seconds to respond to this, for it all happened so fast.

"'The hell did you do that for?" Steve frowned at her.

Agent Carter straightened her uniform and ran her fingers through her hair in a swift motion. Once she did so, she gave him a stern look. "_That's_ for making me say that you were dead."

"I di-" He started to say but stopped himself as soon as an image recurred his mind.

_Around that time he was touring around the Captain America Exhibit in Washington, D.C., located in the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. He was inside one of those small museum rooms with a projector flashing on the wall._

_"That was a difficult winter," Peggy's face flashed on the screen. The subtitle on the upper bottom shows, "Agent Peggy Carter, SSR" meanwhile on the lower half, "New York, 1953". She wasn't looking directly at the audience; it was someone else. Steve watched, his eyes full of sorrow. "A blizzard had trapped our battalion behind the German line." She went on. "Steve, Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months." _

_Giving a small sighed, she went on further. ""He saved over a thousand men. Including the man who would become my husband, as it turned out." He remembered how his heart still ached at that very moment that word husband was said, despite having to visit the museum whenever he had the chance. Opening the compass and having a glimpse of her picture added even more to the pain that he had felt. Losing her was the most depressing thing that has ever happened to him back then, besides from losing his best bud. "Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."_

Right after he recalled everything, he noticed that the once Agent who stood at him with such authority was now bawling her eyes out. Peggy glared at him, her eyes all swollen and red.

"Hey, hey..." He moved towards her, reaching out his hand to touch her cheeks overflowing with those tears.

All of a sudden he felt a grip on his arm and it was turned, a force pinning it down on his dorsal. Steve could only wince at the jolt of pain.

"_This_ is for scaring the shit out of me." She snapped at him.

"Ow! Language!" He replied through gritted teeth.

She even pinned it harder. When Steve was already whining out loud, she let him go, satisfied with it.

"Thank you." The Captain panted, turning once again to her.

"How did you even manage to be," Peggy stifled a laugh, throwing her hands in the air and still crying . "Oh, I don't know... alive for so long without even telling me?"

"I can explain–"

"What's going on here?" A voice echoed, just a few steps away.

Steve cocked his head and recognized the source of the voice walking towards them. That poise when he entered the room and the way he held his chin upright to show his arrogance. Steve couldn't help but smile. _Howard_. He and Tony were really similar in a way.

Howard frowned as he walked up to him.

"You," He started, examining him from head to toe. "look slimmer."

Steve laughed. "Is that all you wanna say to me, Stark?"

"Well no, there are other few things too." He chuckled and pulled the captain in a hug then sealed it with a quick pat on the back.

"We fished you out of the sea, Cap." The scientist went on after pulling away. "But what really confuses me is how you got out."

"Look," Steve glanced at Peggy who still has her arms crossed and is listening in on the conversation. "I would love to explain everything but right now I gotta get this stone back otherwise–"

"Wait, what kind of stone?" Howard interrupted.

"The blue one." replied Steve.

The two frowned at him, exchanged glances with one another and then looked at him again. Steve recognized their look and sighed.

"The blue one. The one that controls space. The one that fell into the ocean when I dove the whole thing into the water?" He said, waving his hands and about.

Howard thought about it for a moment and then snapped his fingers. "Ah! The cube. Yes, I stored it here somewhere." He then started to walk. "Very dangerous. High levels of gamma."

"Yes." Steve nodded.

Howard stopped to find something on the ground; a hammer and a briefcase.

"What's all this?" He asked.

Steve sighed once more. "That's Thor's." He said, pointing at the hammer. "And," Then, pointed at the briefcase. "That's where the stone is being held."

"I was searching this for weeks now only for you to tell me that it was in your possession?!" Howard turned to him now, suddenly all furious. "How did you even manage to find this place and get it from here?"

"We needed the stone." Steve replied, calmly.

"Needed the stone? For what?" The scientist shook his head in disbelief. "You know what it does to people, Cap. You know that it turns genius minds into a complete lunatic and makes you want to dominate the whole goddamn world! Use it for what–"

"Howard." Peggy chimed in. "You know Steve. He wouldn't use the cube for his own personal ambitions."

Steve looked at her and gave her a smile. She gave him a look instead that says, _We need to talk later_.

"You're right." Howard considered before calming down and picked up the briefcase. "It's in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s possession now and that's the only thing that matters." He then scrutinized the briefcase and nudged the locks. Once it popped open, he felt relieved to see the stone. After closing it, he turned to the Captain once more. "I don't know how you managed to get the core itself but now I need to build a safe container for it."

"Do what you have to." Steve shrugged. "It's all yours."

Once they were finished talking, Peggy went up to him and touched his arm. "Are you free to have a chat sometime later or do you need to go somewhere else again?"

Steve kept his smile. "No, I'm right where I want to be."

"Was I supposed to blush?" The agent remarked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Cap, I found your uniform by the dumpster, by the way." Howard walked up to them again. "And it appears you used the poor man's uniform."

Steve couldn't recall anything until he gestured at the name tag. The Captain's expression changed. "Right... I have to give this back to Dennis." He laughed.

"Poor guy." Howard shook his head and approached them once more. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish this thing that I'm working on." He finished with a wink. "Peggy."

She smiled and nodded.

"Steve." He patted him on the shoulder. "God, you're tall."

The two watched as the scientist made his way out of the room.

The room went silent as the footsteps faded away in the distance. The door was closed shut. The only thing that Steve heard was the continuous beating of his heart as he couldn't believe that he's now standing beside the woman of his dreams. All of the years of sorrow went away as soon as he and her spoke. He knew exactly then that he would never let her go. How could he? She's the right partner.

He stared at his shoes and felt a smile forming on his lips. He knew what he wanted to do next. The only thing he's dreamed of saying after they've had their first kiss but couldn't do because of how vulnerable time was on their side.

They faced each other.

He has to say it.

He needs to say it. There and then.

"So, what about about the hammer?" He heard her say.

"The hammer..." Steve frowned. He could only focus on her eyes; oh how he loved staring at those eyes. It kept nagging at the back of his mind; the thought of asking her but he really couldn't for some reason. It seems that there's something that he's forgetting-

"Steve!"

The Captain blinked.

Peggy had just given him a look that says, _What are you doing?_ and he noticed that her palms were also intact which means she must've clapped to get his attention.

"Yes, the hammer?" She asked, looking at him in the eye sternly. "The one that you dropped and was obviously not metal from around here?"

Steve thought about it for a moment and then when his eyes started wandering, he caught sight of Mjolnir resting by the supposedly container for the Tesseract. He thought Howard took it as well. He must have been so engrossed in this moment. Of meeting her again.

"Oh right, the hammer." He cleared his throat sheepishly. "I'm taking it with me again."

Steve went over to pick up the hammer and walked back again to where he was standing. Peggy straightened herself once more and cleared her throat as well. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then."

He only smiled at her.

She gave him a smile as well and was about to walk once she turned, her heels making a sound in doing so but was stopped abruptly when something touched her by the arm. She cocked her head in the direction of where she was touched and yes, it was still him, fingers holding it. He stared at her as if he was about to say something else and so she urged him to get on with it by releasing her arm and facing him once more.

"Yes, Steve?" She asked simply.

"I-" He immediately removed his hand and then shook his head, frowning. "Where are you going?"

"To fulfill my daily obligations as an agent." She frowned. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"No," He shook his head, and then chuckled. He must've been conscious of his actions. "I- I, um, just wanted to ask, you know to clarify things and all that, where'd you wanna meet up?"

"Ah," She smiled. "There's a diner somewhere nearby, just a walk from here. It's called Millie's."

"Okay, okay," He chuckled, running his fingers just above his nape again. His other hand felt for the pocket of the pants. Good thing he didn't forget to bring it along with him when he swapped his clothes. It was there, as he instantly remembered what he was supposed to do. _Not yet. There's still something that I have to do._ "I have to talk to you about something."

"Do tell." She agreed. "You need to explain to me a lot of what's going on."

"Yeah," He could only agree.

_All in the right timing._

"Well," She continued. "If that's your only concern, I'm heading out now. Is that alright?"

"Yes! Yes, absolutely." He looked really embarrassed.

"6 pm on the dot." She gave him one last smile. "And don't you dare be late."

All of it recurred to him once he heard those words. He felt a twinge in his chest but only for a quick moment as the images flashed in his mind. This was the second time that she said it. He didn't want to mess up anymore.

"I'll be there this time," He gave her a nod, smiling still.

"I know you will, Steve," She replied, trying as hardest as she could not to let him hear even just a tiniest bit of her voice cracking. It was time for her to go on about her duties and so she walked away after that and left behind a man holding back his tears of joy all this time, holding Mjolnir on one hand.


End file.
